A Lucky Future
by PenAndChopsticks
Summary: Kagami has been experiencing some new and confusing emotions around her pint-sized friend. Is love in the air as the girls prepare for their adult lives? Only time will tell as they go about their daily non-adventures. Konami.
1. The Repercussions of a Dream

**Chapter 1: The Repercussions of a Dream**

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><p>I don't own Lucky Star. I'm just a fan, and this is just a fanfic. KagamixKonata<p>

This is my first attempt at fan fiction, and really the first time I've done any creative writing that wasn't a high school homework assignment, so please read and let me know what you think!

This story is set immediately after Kagami's dream segment from the Lucky Star OVA, so If you haven't, please check it out before you read. Its definitely worth the watch.

**The Repercussions of a Dream**

_What a dream I had last night. That girl is always getting into my head when I least expect it. Still, that witch costume sure was adorable..._

The bell signaling the lunch break tore Hiiragi Kagami from her inner monologue. Uncharacteristically, she'd been unable to focus during morning classes. Sakuraba-sensei had actually had to repeat her name several times during roll call before she'd been able to respond. For some reason, the strange dream she'd had the previous night refused to get out of her head.

_Oh well, I'm just having an off day, maybe I'll feel more alert after I get some lunch._

"Oy Hiiragi!Forget the squirt and eat with us today!" She vaguely recognized her fanged classmate Misao's loud voice as she exited the classroom, still in a daze.

Kagami walked her typical path down the hall and into her friends classroom, barely paying attention to her surroundings. Just before she entered, she paused to gather her thoughts and put on a cheerful front.

"Osu! How's it go-_oof!"_

"Kagamiiiiin~!" squealed her tiny, blue-haired friend as Kagami received an enthusiastic glomping not three seconds after entering the room.

It was, of course, Izumi Konata. She was in high spirits today, and apparently even more enthusiastic than usual about drawing out what she constantly referred to as Kagami's 'Tsun-Tsun' side.

Kagami's face reddened as every eye in the room was drawn to the pair of girls wrestling in the classroom doorway. She managed to regain her balance, Konata still attached to her waist, and began to berate her annoying new appendage.

"Get the hell off of me you damn midget! We're at school! This is totally inappropriate!"

"But Kagamin! I got a _very_ interesting mail from Tsukasa last night! Exactly who was it that you wanted to 'join bodies' with?"

"Tsukasa you blabbermouth! And after I made you promise not to tell her!"

Tsukasa cowered in fear as Kagami rounded on her with a beet-red face and bared fangs, and began stammering an apology.

"s-sorry, Onee-chan! I.. I couldn't help it, it just... sort of... sorry..." her voice withered away under her twins angry glare.

"A blushing Kagami is so cute... So who's the unfortunate guy, tsundere-san?" Konata quipped from her position still securely fastened around Kagami's waist.

Kagami sighed and resigned herself to explaining. "It wasn't a guy, I-"

"OH! So you do roll that way! I've always had a sneaking suspicion, Kagamin!"

"What the HELL are you talking about! Just shut up and listen, ok? I wasn't actually saying it to anyone, It was a magical spell, and YOU'RE the one who made me say it! Geez, I can't even dream without you bombarding me with weirdness."

"Kagamin likes me enough to resort to _that _kind of magic? And that's some spellbook you've got, girl! Seduction magic isn't available until level thirty, right?"

Kagami let out a long sigh as she started to regain her composure. "You have absolutely no intention of listening to my explanation, do you? And I will never understand your taste in games."

Konata just grinned her catlike grin, stared up at Kagami through her long eyelashes, and stayed firmly attached to her twin-tailed friend.

"Are you at least planning on letting go of me sometime today?"

Over the course of their lunch break, and through many interruptions, Kagami managed to get out her entire story.

"You know who Hatsune Miku is, Kagami? And you even had a leek! Hanging out with me is having more of an effect on you than you realize!"

Takara Miyuki, the gentle, pink haired girl who had remained quietly listening during Kagamis story, now spoke up in her defense.

"Konata-san, You may be reading too much into this. While dream analysis was formerly quite popular in the realm of clinical psychology, recent schools of thought tend to downplay the significance of dreams as a reliable source of information about the psyche. Why, I recently had a very silly dream in which my mother married a dentist and I was assigned the task of being a test subject for new dental equipment."

Konata and Kagami stared blankly at Miyuki, neither willing to point out the obvious contradiction in what she'd just said.

Of course Konata had to get in one more gag before the end of the break:

"Here's a little tip, Kagamin. If you get a bad end, work through your choices backwards to figure out where you went wrong. My best guess is the cosplay. I'm not really into the Vocaloid girls, so next time, maybe you could try Yoko from Gurr0n La00en. That bikini is guaranteed to raise the Konata flag!"

Kagami lost her cool.

"I GIVE UP! You little pervert,You're obviously not listening to anything I'm saying! I absolutely hate how you refuse to take me seriously! Until you grow up a little, just stay the hell away from me!"

A shocked silence fell over the classroom after Kagami's extraordinarily loud outburst.

After a few long, silent seconds, Konata replied in a very quiet and slightly depressed undertone, "I listen to every word Kagamin says..."

Her unexpected response caused Kagami's face to once again turn a deep shade of red, and she was unable to think of a response before the bell signaling the end of lunch break forced her to return to her own classroom.

_There's no way she likes me that way... Wait... What way? What am I thinking?There's no reason to jump to that conclusion. That had to be another one of Konata's attempts to get a rise out of me... Even if she was serious, we are good friends. Just because she listens when I talk, that doesn't mean anything more than that she respects me... Or maybe... I did get pretty mad back there, maybe she was trying to apologize? Ugh, I'm just over-thinking this... I got mad and Konata apologized, there isn't anything deeper to it than that... Right? _

Kagami's focus during her afternoon lessons was even worse than it had been in the morning.

The day after the dream incident, Saturday, Konata never showed up for school. When classes ended for the day, Miyuki excused herself for another attempt at a dental appointment, and the Hiiragi twins decided to visit Konata's place to check up on her. They met Kobayakawa Yutaka, Konata's younger cousin, at the train platform.

"Your going to visit Onee-chan?" the tiny girl squeaked. "That's wonderful! She seemed really down yesterday, and this morning she said she had a fever. I'm sure a visit would cheer her up!"

They arrived at the Izumi residence, and with a chorus of "pardon the intrusion" the twins headed up the stairs to Konata's room, where they found her... gaming away at her PC.

"Yutaka told us you were sick, but you look pretty healthy to me..." grumbled Kagami as she and Tsukasa seated themselves at the table In the center of the room.

"Tsukasa. Kagami-sama. Thanks for visiting. Yea, I said I had a bit of a fever, but really its really more like... May sickness."

Kagami stared at Konata in disbelief. "Its October..."

Tsukasa excused herself to use the bathroom, leaving Kagami to sit in silence as Konata continued to kick ass and take names in the virtual world.

Kagami stood up and walked around the table to stand over Konata's shoulder, intent on breaking the frosty silence.

"What, exactly, is so interesting about these... MMO's, right?"

Konata's reply was... so very Konata: "Well, I can accomplish so much more as a level seventy tank than as a level three high-school girl."

"So, as this 'Tank', you can do more than better yourself, gain knowledge of the real world and contribute to society?"

"I did recently learned how to dual-wield two-handed weapons. That's bettering myself, right? And my clan often tells me that no one has greater knowledge of the world of Azaneroth than I do. As for contributing to society, my party recently rescued an entire town of dwarves from the clutches of a massive, fire-breathing dragon, so I'd say I'm doing alright."

"Dwarves..." mumbled Kagami

Then Konata added, in a small voice, "I can actually be useful to people in this world. Here I'm not just an annoyance."

Kagami suddenly realized the actual reason behind Konata's absence that day.

"Um... you know, Konata, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I got a little carried away. I know you didn't mean any harm, and... um..."

Kagami's voice dropped to barely a whisper

"I don't really think all that. What I said about you needing to grow up. Sure, sometimes you get on my nerves, but I... I think your great... just as you are."

By the time she was finished, Kagami's face was so red that, had she been a manga character, there would have been a plume of steam coming from her head.

Konata's previously gloomy attitude underwent a complete reversal.

She stood up, held out her arms, and shouted "Awww Kagamiiin~, I knew you cared!" She then proceeded to provide Kagami with her second serious glomping in as many days.

Kagami's muffled voice could be heard from somewhere under the vast sea of blue hair that engulfed her as Konata brought her to the ground."That recovery didn't take long"

"Hey, Kagamin...?" Konata asked in her sweetest voice

"Wh... What is it?"

"Wanna give this game a try?"

"NO" Kagami quickly extricated herself from the smaller girls clutches.

"But you might like it!"

"NO"

"I have a free triiiaaal!"

"I'm not interested. Wait, you pay to play that crap?"

Soon after, Tsukasa reentered the room and returned to her spot at the table.

"Ok, Konata, Tsukasa, lets get down to business. We're going to get some studying done today.

"Oh, excuse me for a minute," came Tsukasa's reply. "I think I need to use the restroom"

"OH no you don't!" Kagami grabbed the waistband of her sister's skirt as she started her bid for freedom, and dragged her back to the floor.

Several hours later, Konata had reached her limit.

"My brain hurts... I Just can't get my math to work out. No matter how many times I leap back and try again, I just can't find a time line where I get the answer right. Kagamin! This plane isn't doing it for me! What do I need to do to bring the divergence beyond 1%?"

"...I have no idea what that means."

Just then, there was a light knock on the bedroom door.

"Onee-chan, Kagami-Senpai, Tsukasa-Senpai, Dinner is ready!"

As the girls entered the kitchen to the smell of curry, Konata's father Sojiro looked up from the pot he was stirring. When he realized who he'd be dining with, his eyes lit up and tears began pouring down his cheeks.

"Sojiro is crying twin waterfalls!"

"I give that reference a four out of ten, dad."

"Really? I thought it was alright. "But still! Dinner with FOUR high school girls!"

Sojiro struck what he imagined was a dramatic victory pose, fists on his hips and eyes brimming with joy. "I can die... a happy man!"

"Your creepiness is palpable," his daughter replied.

Kagami just looked disgusted, as Tsukasa cowered in a corner of the room.

As the twins prepared to leave after dinner, Konata spoke up with an invitation.

"You know Yu-chan's classmate Hiyorin, right? She's part of a doujinshi circle, and they're hosting an event in Akiba tomorrow. I was thinking of checking it out, but I need someone to go with. Pleeease? I know you'd be interested, Kagamin! They specialize in yuri! I know you're into that type of thing!"

Tsukasa declined the offer, saying she needed to study, but probably planning on sleeping in. Surprisingly, Kagami agreed.

"Well, there is a new light novel I wanted to buy, and I'm free tomorrow. I have no idea what you mean by yuri, but I don't mind hanging out with you for the day. Just try to keep the nerdery to a minimum, ok?"

"It's Akiba, Kagamin! Nerdery is its lifeblood! I start work at five, so if we meet around noon, we can hang out for a while at the event and eat at the cafe for free before my shift! The chef there makes a mean super spicy parfait."

Kagami wasn't about to question why anyone would eat something bearing that title. "Whatever... just meet me at the station. And don't be late this time!"

Stay tuned, and review please! Comments and criticism would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Mayhem in Electric Town

**Chapter 2: Mayhem in Electric Town**

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><p>I want to start off by apologizing to Cyberchao X and RezleVettems for totally ripping off the names of their stories, I hadn't seen them at the time. My bad.<p>

Also, I do not own Lucky Star. I'm just a fan, and this is just a fanfic.

Enough intro, Here's Part two! Enjoy!

**Mayhem in Electric Town**

Konata stood on the platform and watched as the train rolled out of the station. As the last car passed out of her line of sight, a clock on the far side of the platform came into view. It was 12:20 pm. Kagami was late.

_Today will be a good day... _Konata thought to herself as she caught a glimpse of her friend sprinting towards her down the crowded street.

Kagami skidded to a halt in front of Konata and bent over with her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. She was bright red, and her exertion was only half of the reason. Konata's smirk was also to blame.

"Kagamiiin~ you're-"

"I KNOW!" Kagami had caught her breath enough to shout.

Then, in a softer voice; "Sorry I'm late, lets just get on the train..."

"Sure, when the next one gets here. I've already watched it leave twice now."

But Konata wasn't the least bit upset. She just stood on the platform and grinned up at her lavender-haired friend.

As the girls waited for the next train, the platform gradually filled with people. About 15 minutes after Kagami's arrival people were packed so tightly together that the girls could hardly move. When the train arrived, so many people tried to get on at once that the pair was practically being smothered by bodies. Kagami lost sight of Konata in the melee.

As she was fighting the crowd and looking for her tiny friend, a gangly man in a leather jacket sporting an enormous blond pompadour brazenly flipped Kagami's skirt and whistled obnoxiously. Before she had time to do anything but redden and drop her jaw in shock, the creep was brought down by a flying blue blur. Konata had executed a perfect flying jump kick from part way up a nearby flight of stairs. The very confused culprit suddenly found himself sprawled at a raging Konata's feet.

"Keep your hands off, creep!" Konata yelled as she took up a fighting stance. The delinquent got to his feet, but the short girl squaring off with him had a fire in her eyes that made him hesitate, and soon much of the nearby crowd had turned their attention to the scuffle. All the goon could manage was to thrust his hands angrily into his coat pockets and spit on the ground at Konata's feet before walking away.

Kagami was still in shock. She stared at Konata with her jaw hanging.

_I've never seen Konata so serious before... She was amazing!_

"Are you alright, Kagami? What a lowlife."

"Wha..? Oh! Yea, I'm fine. That was great, Kona-chan! You took that pervert out! I always thought all your talk about martial arts just came from overplaying fighting games, but you really know your stuff! He never saw you coming! Guess he'd rather turn tail and walk away than lose a fight to a girl!"

Kagami's compliments, and especially that -chan after her name, went straight to Konata's head.

"It wasn't such a big deal, Kagamin. All in a days work. I saved your sister from a foreigner twice that guys size! I'm a pro! If you ever need a knight in shining armor to come to your rescue, you can count on Konata!"

"...Wasn't that foreigner asking Tsukasa for directions when you kicked his ass?"

"That's all in the past, Kagamin! Lets get on the train before I have to save you again! Everyone make way! Professional bodyguard coming through! If any of you even so much as glance at Kagami-sama I'll make you wish you were never born!"

As Konata pushed her way through the crowded station shouting nonsense, Kagamis sense of admiration slowly dwindled, leaving behind an intense embarrassment as every eye on the platform turned towards the diminutive 'professional bodyguard' and the apparent noblewoman she was escorting onto the express train to Akihabara. But along with the embarrassment, Kagami felt a sense of contentment.

_Things never get boring with Konata around._

As the girls boarded the train, Konata bent down to pick something up.

"What was that?"

She stood and revealed a brightly colored piece of candy wrapped in plastic that she had apparently just obtained from the floor of the train.

"...You're not actually going to eat floor candy, are you?"

"Kagamin, its still in the wrapper! There's nothing wrong with it!"

As the duo discussed the pros and cons of eating candy found on the floor of the Akiba express, the train arrived at their stop and they disembarked. Seated on a bench immediately outside of the station was none other than the former teen idol, Akira Kogami (Or so Konata explained enthusiastically when she sighted her).

"She isn't looking too great these days, though" Kagami declared as they watched Kogami try and fail to take a drag from her cigarette, instead winding up unable to breath through her hacking cough.

"What the hell are you looking at, bud! Yea, thats right keep walking!" they heard her yell in a horribly hoarse voice at a passing salary man who had happened to glance in her direction during her coughing fit.

"Akira-Sama!" Konata yelled as she ran over to the fallen star. "I'm a huge fan! Your voice sounds terrible today, though. Here, this should help!"

Surprisingly, Kogami accepted the piece of candy offered to her by a total stranger outside of a train station.

"Thanks, kid. My throat really has been killing me today, and I just had one hell of a screaming match with my producer." She unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth. "Mmm... That hits the spot. Here, take these in return. I can't stomach 'em right now anyway."

With that, Kogami tossed Konata her half-empty pack of cigarettes.

"Well, I'd better get back to the studio. Later."

As Akira Kogami walked off into the crowd, Kagami turned to Konata. "Why on earth would we want cigarettes? That woman was disgusting, how can you be her fan?"

Grinning, Konata slid the cigarettes into her skirt pocket. "Being an idol is a tough gig, Kagami! It takes its toll. Akira was a great singer and seiyuu once, and I still respect her for it."

The girls continued down Chuo-dori on their way to Hiyori's doujinshi event. Suddenly, a classmate of theirs, Minoru Shiraishi, came tearing out of a nearby alleyway obviously in distress and barely avoided colliding with Kagami.

"Hey Sebastian! Where's the fire?" Konata inquired.

"That little witch is going to cost me my job! I never should have agreed to work with her again after that Lucky Channel fiasco!"

Kagami attempted to calm Minoru down."Relax, Shiraishi. Why don't you explain the problem and maybe we'll be able to help somehow."

"Thanks Kagami, but I doubt you'll be able to do anything. I'm looking for Akira Kogami, the 'idol'." Minoru put some heavy sarcasm into the word 'idol'. "We're working together doing the voices for an animated commercial, but she's such a rotten little... ugh... Your right. I need to calm myself. Man, I could really use a smoke."

"Here Sebastian, neither of us smoke, and I just happen to have these on me today." Konata offered up the cigarettes she'd just received from Akira. "And I'm sure Akira-sama will come back to work soon, she needs to get paid too. She's not as popular as she used to be."

Those words seemed to cheer Minoru up even more than the free cigarettes.

"you're right! I'm the rising star here! Akira Kogami is old news and fading fast! Thank you, Izumi-san. I owe you one! Here, I have a quo card I got as a perk from the production company. I doubt I'll ever use it, and I heard you collect these."

"Thanks..." Konata looked down at the card he handed to her. It showed the logo of a snack food company.

"Well, I'm headed back to the studio. You're right, Akira has to turn up soon if she wants to keep her job. Thanks a lot, girls."

"Here, Kagami. A P0cky quo card is more your style. I'm sure it would fit right in with your collection."

"Shut it, you."

Just then, something crashed into the shop window next to Kagamis head, causing her to leap nearly a meter into the air. It was Misao's fist. She slammed both both of them against the glass again from inside what turned out to be a cafe, and beckoned the two of them to the door.

"Thank god the two of you showed up!" She stood in the doorway, blocking the path of several other customers, and chatted with Konata and Kagami. "I bought a cup of tea, but when I went up to pay I realized I forgot my wallet when I left home. Do you think you could help me out?"

"How much is the bill?" Kagami inquired

"1,000 yen."

"1,000 yen for a cup of tea! That's criminal!"

"Well, when I realized I couldn't pay, I had to stall somehow while I thought up a plan. So I ordered another cup, and then another, and then another!"

"Like you really need all that caffeine. All right, your in luck. We just got this quo card for free. If we hadn't, I'd just leave you here. Go find out If they'll accept it."

Misao ran over to the register, handed the card to a rather annoyed cashier, and trotted happily back. "No problems! Thanks guys, you really saved me today. Here, I have a few tickets to a lottery being held up the street. You can have them. I've been here for a few hours so I really need to get home. See ya!" and with that Misao ran off toward the train station at full tilt, knocking a pair of otaku types to the ground as she ran and spilling their anime merchandise everywhere.

"What a weird day..." Kagami mused.

Well, lets get moving again, Kagamin. we're going to miss the whole event at this rate! And now we have to check out this lottery."

The lottery wasn't far, and no one else was in line when they arrived. Konata handed Kagami two tickets. "You go first, Kagamin!"

Kagami handed in a ticket and spun the contraption. A red ball fell out, and the man behind the table handed her a packet of tissues. Her second attempt likewise produced a red ball of failure. Konata went next, and turned out a red ball. Kagami sighed, and went to a nearby vending machine for a milk coffee. _These lotteries are so lame, I've never won once._

"One of my balls is gold!" Kagami spat coffee all over a passing salaryman as she heard Konata shout.

"Think about what your saying before you yell in public!"

Oh, chill Kagamin. I'm standing at a lottery booth, everyone knows what I mean. You just have a dirty mind. But forget that, I won!"

"Congratulations! You are our grand prize winner!" The operator announced. "And your prize is... The latest model home computer!" He handed Konata a surprisingly slim package.

Kagami was shocked. "Unbelievable... you won. A computer really suits you, too. It's like the perfect prize."

_All this because she picked up a piece of floor candy. And I told her not to, Ugh, Ill never live this down._

"Here Kagamin! You can have it!" She dropped the package into Kagami's arms.

Kagami was shocked.

"Are you nuts! Its a brand new computer!"

"I custom built my PC myself. There's no way this store-bought model can even come close to meeting the requirements for some of the games I play. Besides, you don't have your own computer, do you? Its totally unacceptable for everyone in your house to have access to your D drive! And... I just played out this straw millionaire plot device in a galge recently. If I did it right, I should have just raised the Kagamin flag!

_She wants to raise my flag? Ugh, cool it girl, shes only joking._

"Besides, this way I don't have to carry it around all day!"

_See... Why do I get so worked up when she jokes like that anyway?_

"Thanks, Konata. This is an amazing gift. Really, I can't thank you enough."

"Think nothing of it Kagamin. Now lets be on our way!"

"We're Heeeere!" Konata yelled as the pair entered the cafe, which had been modified to look like a miniature version of Comiket. There were about 15 tables, and an ecstatic Hiyori was waving them over from the large one immediately opposite the entrance.

"I can't believe the legendary Girl A came to our little expo!" she shouted a little over-enthusiastically, as if to let everyone else in the room in on the fact that she was the reason Konata was attending.

"The what?" Kagami inquired.

"I'm well known in the industry, Kagamin. Apparently I have the power to grant success to fan literature. To be honest, it gets a little irritating at events like this." Even before she had finished saying so, several people from neighboring tables had gathered behind her and were waiting tentatively with manga in their hands.

"This is our newest book." Hiyori handed a copy to Kagami as she explained the premise. "It's based on Ev0ngeli0n, and pairs Rei and Asuka after the fight with Arael. I'm really proud of this one. I was thinking of making a short series out of it, so let me know what you think Konata-senpai."

"So, what exactly does yuri mean, anyway?" Kagami asked. "You mentioned that this circle specializes in it." Kagami opened the book she'd been handed to a random page. She dropped her jaw and reddened almost immediately.

"Girl's love." explained a very amused Konata.

"I... I see..."

_Damn. This is hot. Wait... It is? Do I like... Am I..._

"Oi! Patty! We're over here!" Screamed Hiyori loudly from right next to Kagami's ear. Konata was delighted to see her friend so absorbed in a doujinshi that she didn't even flinch.

"Get out of the way if you don't want a crutch to the shin, I'm coming through!" They heard the high pitched voice of Patricia Martin, American otaku and another of their kohai, from somewhere in the dense crowd. After a few minutes, she managed to fight her way over to their table, and she was indeed walking on crutches.

"Patty, what happened!" Hiyori asked her worriedly.

"Some serious insanity! I left the waterfront to head here, and as I was walking up the hill some maniac on a bicycle with a girl in his basket almost killed me! He must have been going 40 kilometers an hour screaming something about not being able to fly, but damned if he didn't try. He just launched them both over the guardrail and off the cliff! I tripped trying to get out of his way and sprained my ankle. Apparently they fell into the bay and both of them survived, but stunts like that should really be left to anime characters! Anyway, Konata-Senpai, I'm glad your here. I'm supposed to work in a few hours, but there's no way I can wait tables like this. I tried calling you earlier, but I think your cell phone is off. Could you cover for me?"

"Patty, we're both part of the Haruhi cast. We always work the same shift."

"Haha... Oh yea. That's it, then. I've asked everyone, and nobody can come in. Looks like you guys are stuck short staffed tonight."

"Woah, Patty! What happened to you?" Kagami had just rejoined the real world.

Konata grinned widely at Patty, then at Kagami, and then back at Patty. Patty returned the grin and nodded.

"What? What was that about?"

Kagami, Patty was supposed to work tonight, but she got hurt earlier. Now she needs to find someone to cover for her, but none of the other employees are free. Do you think you could help her out?"

Kagami looked skeptical.

"Pleeeeaaase, Kagami-senpai?" Patty put on the puppy dog eyes, while Konata took the badgering route

C'mon, Kagamin. I'd love to work with you for a day! It's a really great place to work, too! And you can eat for free during your break! Um... I know! I'll rub your feet! ...Kagami?

Kagami had zoned out for a few seconds after Konata's last offer. "Mmm... Huh? Ah! No way! That's so weird! Wh...why would I want you to rub my feet?" She stammered as her face turned red yet again.

"Alright, alright. I'll help. I can't leave Patty hanging, and its not like I have anything better to do tonight any... Aw dammit! You guys work at a cosplay cafe! I completely forgot. Are you absolutely sure you can't find anyone else to do it?"

Patty nodded. "I've tried everyone else. There isn't anybody who can fill in on such short notice."

"Ugh. Fine. I'll do it, but is it alright with your manager if some random person fills in? Its not like I have experience or anything."

Konata was ecstatic. "Don't worry, Kagamin! I'll call the manager right now and vouch for you! He's a pretty laid-back guy. I'm sure he won't have a problem with it!"

And he didn't.

"I can't wait to see Kagamin in Mikuru cosplay! I have to call Yu-chan and ask her to bring my camera to the cafe!"

"Relax, Konata. Your drooling. Its creepy." Kagami was a bit down after being sentenced to cosplay for six hours.

"At least all I have to do is wait tables."

Konata's jaw dropped. She looked up at Patty and muttered, "Hare Hare Yukai."

"What the heck does that mean?" Kagami asked, worried.

"Oooooh, right! There is actually one other thing you need to do tonight." Patty explained "Every hour, on the hour, the crew go up on stage to perform the ending theme to Haruhi! The customers really love it, but it just wouldn't be right if only Haruhi and Nagato performed."

"I have to get on stage and _sing_ now! Tell me you're joking. This is a prank Konata cooked up, right? Right!"

"Actually, She speaks the truth. I visit the cafe pretty often, and their Hare Hare Yukai is a big reason why the place is so popular."

"Don't worry, Kagami, you don't have to sing. Its all lip synching. We just need to teach you the choreography before five o'clock."

"_Dont worry?_ Its already after two!"

And with that, practice began. Hiyori lent them a laptop and a small pair of speakers, and also provided a spacious storage room where her circle had been storing things for the event. In a little under two hours, Kagami had the majority of the moves down.

"Your pretty good at this, Kagamin. I think you're just about ready for showtime!" Konata observed as she stopped the recording for the twenty-something time.

Patty agreed. "Oh yeah, Kagami! You're a natural! I might have to come watch the show tonight!"

Kagami was gasping for breath. "I'm exhausted, lets get out of here and have some food."

"Sounds good, I can introduce you around the cafe before we start!"

As they prepared to leave and Konata was saying her goodbyes, Kagami pulled Hiyori off to the side.

"I'll take a copy of that new book... Keep this a secret from Konata, though, ok?"

Hiyori stared back blankly, so Kagami scowled and pulled her close by the collar.

"I mean it. If she hears about this, I will end you."

The mangaka managed a meek nod and handed over the doujinshi. "No charge..."

Kagami stealthily slipped it into the box containing her new PC.

When they arrived at the cafe, Konata introduced Kagami to the manager, a cheerful, balding man whose personality reminded her of Konata's father.

"He's actually less of a perv than my dad, though." Konata whispered.

"Hiiragi-san, you just settle in and get to know everyone. I'll bring you girls some food when its ready."

They took seats at the small table in the break room. Another girl already in uniform with short purple hair was standing quietly nearby.

_Get to know everyone? There's only one other person here!_

"Hi there, I'm Hiiragi Kagami. I guess we'll be working together tonight."

"Hello." came the brief reply. The girl continued to stand in silence for several minutes, then walked out to the cafe without another word. Kagami looked vexed.

"That's all you're going to get, Kagamin." Konata responded to her friend's confused stare."That's Yuki. At least, she plays Yuki Nagato while she's here. I've never seen her out of cosplay, and she introduced herself as Yuki when we met. The manager hired her two minutes into her interview, and came out ranting about how perfect she was. I have to admit, she's Nagato through and through. I just wish she was a little more sociable."

"That's really saying something coming from someone who lives in an online game."

Soon the manager brought over two enormous plates of omurice, the names Haruhi and Mikuru drawn on with ketchup. Konata also asked him for a super-spicy parfait.

"I told you we'd never make those again the day you introduced them. All I can say is thank god I tried one before we served any to the customers."

"Who would order one?" Kagami wondered aloud as the manager walked back to his office.

"They're pretty good. I get the chef to make them for me on the sly. He's from Italy, I think. Name's Luigi. He's lived in Tokyo since grade school, but he has the manager convinced he doesn't speak Japanese. He's a great guy, and a culinary genius! I'll introduce you after we eat."

When they had finished their dinner, Konata led Kagami to the kitchen.

"Hey Louie, whats up? This is Kagami, she's helping out on the floor tonight."

A short man wearing a large white hat rounded on Kagami. His thick mustache twitched as he looked her up and down. Suddenly, He roared:

"Chi è questo! Perché sei nella mia cucina! Parlare, ragazza!"

"...What?" asked a flabbergasted Kagami.

"Sorry Louie, I already told her you speak Japanese."

"Aww hell, Konata, we haven't had a newbie in a while now. Messing with the manager is getting a bit old, ya know?" He turned his attention back toward Kagami with a suspicious smile on his face. "How about a parfait, new blood?"

"She told me about those, too. I think I'll pass."

"Your killing me, Chibi-chan. Anyway, Its Hiiragi-san, right? I've heard a lot about you from Konata, Nice to meet you. "

"Likewise, please take good care of me while I'm here."

"Hahaha! No need to be so formal, any friend of Konata's is a friend of mine. anyway, I've got some orders to fill, and you both need to get changed. Its just about showtime, you know!"

"Oh, right! C'mon, Kagami, we have a performance at the beginning of our shift!"

So began six hours of Kagami's hell on earth. Having never taken an order in her life, she was now responsible for a third of the tables in the cafe. At first, she tried too hard to act like the character Konata had showed her clips of in between practicing choreography, but soon she dropped the act completely and just struggled to keep up with the orders. Apparently, a confused and apologetic Kagami was a more convincing Asahina Mikuru than she thought. Word got around town, and many of the customers that visited later in the night, including Patty, Hiyorin, and about a dozen other people from the doujinshi expo, specifically requested to be waited on by the "new Mikuru."

In addition to now waiting on almost half of the tables in the cafe single-handed, Kagami had to perform Hare Hare Yukai six times that night. Her limited training barely kept her together. She came close to falling off the stage while trying to spin on her tip-toes. She slid right when she was supposed to jump left. Once, a customer even jumped onto the stage and twirled her around a few times while singing along in a horrible, sake-scented voice. Louie put a stop to that particular incident by dragging the intoxicated otaku off the stage and into the street by his shirt collar. Kagami knew she was screwing up, but for whatever reason, the customers loved her. They cheered loudly whenever she made a mistake, and after the second show when she had nearly fallen, the crowd treated her to a standing ovation and a chant of "Mi-Ku-Ru! Mi-Ku-Ru!" Several people waited around to see the next show.

Once things had calmed down for the night, The manager confided in Kagami that the cafe had never been so busy. "I actually had to start turning people away at the door to avoid violating the fire code! Would you consider working a part-time job here? I don't know what you did, but you're a sensation!"

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm sorry, I'm exhausted. There's no way I could do this regularly and keep up with my schoolwork."

"Guest appearances, then?" He seemed desperate. Kagami had to admit, she didn't mind the adoring worship of dozens of people

"Well... Maybe." The truth was, even if she had worked herself to the bone, she felt satisfied.

But she also felt tired. She barely remembered leaving the cafe. The trip to Konata's house seemed to take a matter of seconds. She sat down on the heated seat and suddenly she was being shaken by Konata. Come on, Kagami. You should sleep at my place tonight. If I leave you alone on the train, you'll never get off."

"Mmmm... Sounds good." Kagami mumbled as Konata dragged her to her feet. The chill night air outside the station woke her up a bit, and by the time they arrived at Konata's house she was able to greet Konata's father and Yutaka, who were watching television in the living room.

"Sorry for intruding, Konata invited me to spend the night. I'm totally exhausted from work, and I doubt I'd still be awake by the time the train reached my stop."

"Oh, hello Hiiragi-san! No problem at all, you're welcome here whenever you want!"

"You're just happier when there are more high school girls around the house." Konata didn't spare her father her jabs, either. "Why don't you take a bath first, Kagami? You look ready to pass out."

"Oh, crap! What am I going to sleep in? Your clothes are all way too small for me. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all."

"Ha, You'd better lay off the snacks. Soon you won't fit into your own pajamas!"

"Shut up. I'm not fat, you're just a midget."

"Well, for now you can just sleep naked! I will too, so you don't have to be embarrassed!"

"Shut up! This was definitely a bad idea!" Kagami was now blushing violently.

"Oh! I know what might work!" Yutaka piped up from the living room table, seated next to a now drooling Sojiro. "Minami-chan left a pair of pajamas here when she spent the night last week. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you borrowed them!"

Kagami seized the chance to escape. "That's perfect. I'm going to take that bath now, would you mind leaving them outside the door for me, Yutaka?"

"Of course not, Kagami-senpai!"

Kagami, bathed and clothed, walked into Konata's room. Her blue-haired friend began laughing immediately. "That look is adorable, Kagami!"

Minami's pajamas were too long. Kagami's hands were covered by the sleeves, and she had had to roll the baggy pant legs up several times, so they were now in large bunches around her ankles.

"Whatever, I'm too tired to care." She plopped down at the edge of her friends bed.

Konata stood to leave the room. "I'm going to take my bath. There's a futon in the hall closet so help yourself and get some sleep."

When she returned, dressed for bed and toweling her long blue hair, Kagami had simply fallen over on the bed where she sat and fallen asleep. Konata walked over and watched her tsundere friend's sleeping face. She was frowning, and tossed and turned a bit. She mumbled something that sounded like "Kona-chaaaan." Then, the still-sleeping Kagami suddenly wrapped her arms around Konata's neck and pulled her down to the bed. She slept much more peacefully after that, and Konata fell asleep rather quickly herself in her best friend's warm embrace.

That's it for chapter two. Let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading!


	3. A Night to Remember

**Chapter 3: A Night to Remember**

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><p>Chapter three, Enjoy!<p>

I don't own Lucky Star, I'm just a fan, and this is just a fanfic.

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><p><strong>A Night to Remember<strong>

Kagami never found out about the night she and Konata spent together. The smaller girl had woken up as soon as her alarm sounded in the morning, quickly shut it off and set up the guest futon on the floor. She had messed up the covers, and then gently shaken her friend awake so she could head home for her school things. All Kagami knew was that she'd never slept better than she had that night in Konata's room. She felt a little guilty about forcing her host to sleep on the floor, but Konata hadn't made a big deal out of it. In fact, she took being forced out of her own bed so well that Kagami had been a bit on the defensive for a while, expecting some kind of retribution. But the big retaliatory prank she had been expecting never came.

October drifted peacefully into November, and soon preparations for the culture festival were underway. On top of class projects, Patty had drafted everyone she knew into a cheerleading routine to be performed at the festival's opening ceremony. Kagami had fought the idea at first, but if she was honest with herself, she cherished the opportunity to create such an important memory with all of her friends. Eventually, she wound up devoting much of her spare time to preparing for the show, and fell into something of a leadership role while the girls were practicing their choreography.

On the day of the festival, the performance went without a hitch. The crowd gave a standing ovation, and Konata's father was thrown out of the festival about halfway through the routine for rushing the stage with an absurdly large camera. Afterward, Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa and Miyuki made their way to the zuka cafe hosted by Yutaka's class for lunch. Yutaka and Minami had high-tailed it to their classroom almost immediately after the show to change into their costumes, chased by Hiyori, who insisted that they were the main attraction and that the cafe needed them.

_They do look great in those costumes, _Kagami thought to herself as she watched the pair in action from across the room. _And they make an adorable couple..._

"Don't Yu-chan and Minami-chan look great together?" Tsukasa observed.

"Your telling me, those two deserve the couple of the year award for sure!" Konata replied enthusiastically.

Kagami contradicted her earlier thoughts. "They're not a couple? They're both girls!"

"But Kagamin, you've been staring at them for almost ten minutes now, can you really tell me you weren't thinking the same thing? And whats wrong with two girls being a couple, anyway? It's the 21st century, get with the program!"

Hiyori had been standing nearby, and now she spoke to Kagami. "You've seen how those two get along together, senpai. It's not really that far-fetched, is it? And how can you be against female couples when every time we go to Akiba..._Oof_!"

An elbow to the ribcage shut her up not a moment too soon. Luckily, the other three girls were still focused on the zuka duo, and Konata hadn't heard a word. Kagami had in fact secretly accompanied Hiyori to several lesser-known shops in Akihabara since she and Konata had spent the day there, and her secret doujinshi collection had been growing. Most of it was yuri-themed, and a lot of it covered some fairly raunchy material. At first, Kagami didn't know why she kept buying the stuff. She'd never really been into dirty magazines and such, but for some reason she couldn't stop herself. On top of that, the computer Konata had won for her now contained several hidden folders. These folders held images that, if discovered by any other human being, had the potential to force Kagami to flee the country in shame. Yet she still couldn't resist the urge to search for explicit pictures of anime girls getting it on whenever she found some free time.

None of this was behavior born out of a new-found fandom for anime or manga, however. It's possible that Kagami was drawn to yuri because it was the first expression of mutual female love she'd been exposed to. Confusing feelings had been growing inside of her for some time, and she now had a sneaking suspicion that she might be a lesbian, and of all things, that she might be attracted to Konata. This thought had materialized for the first time in yet another dream starring Konata, on the night she'd spent sleeping in her friends bed back in October.

Kagami had been on stage, singing in front of thousands of cheering fans in some massive, ambiguous arena. For some reason, that Hatsune Miku cosplay had made another appearance. As she sang, The wild crowd blended into an amorphous gray seething mass. As Kagami looked out onto the spectators from the stage, she spotted one miniscule point of color. It was blue. The blue speck grew larger and larger, until she could make out a pair of bright green eyes. The crowd had disappeared. Even the theatre had disappeared. She was alone in a featureless world of gray with Konata. Without knowing why, she embraced the smaller girl. She felt the soft texture of her long, flowing hair. Her nostrils were filled with Konata's scent. She couldn't control herself. She shut her eyes, bent down, and kissed the dream Konata lightly on the lips. When she did so, however, she experienced not the soft, wet feeling she'd been expecting, but the taste of shampoo and a mouthful of hair. When she opened her eyes again, The dream Konata blinking up at her had a massive, blue mustache. Kagami blinked in alarm, and when her eyes refocused she was no longer in the gray, empty world, but lost in a sea of blue hair. She pulled back a bit and found herself in Konata's room, on her bed, her arms wrapped around the sleeping figure of her strange little friend from behind. At this point, Kagami realized that what she'd been experiencing was a dream, and assumed that she must still be dreaming, given the absurdity of her situation. She felt such a comforting peace of mind in this dream world, lying next to her best friend, that she pushed away her nagging confusion, snuggled closer, and focused on maintaining the dream for as long as she possibly could. Telling herself that she'd deal with her confusing emotions tomorrow, when she was awake, she closed her eyes and slowly drifted away from Konata and into a new dream.

Unbeknownst to Kagami, on the other side of the bed, the pressure on her back had woken Konata. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but she didn't feel the need to interrupt. She too had felt completely at ease so close to her friend. It had definitely been a much more peaceful atmosphere than the dream she'd been woken from. The maniacal laughter of a blood-spattered, green-haired girl had been haunting her dreams all that week, since she'd begun re-watching a certain very dark anime series. That night, the horrors of Hinamizawa were replaced by Kagami's comforting warmth.

A month later, back in the zuka cafe, Konata glanced up at the clock over the doorway. "We'd better get back to our classroom, ladies. It's almost time for us to start our shifts. You girls should come by and have your fortunes read when you get some free time!"

As Konata, Miyuki and Tsukasa left the room, Kagami had her eyes fixed on the pint-sized otaku.

Hiyori noticed where she was staring. "Senpai... do you... _like _Ko_-Ugh!"_

This time, The elbow connected squarely with Hiyori's stomach. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Well, I'd better head over to the haunted house. Remember to keep your mouth shut!" Her bright tone of voice clashed with the threatening words and the glare in her eyes as she held Hiyori's gaze for a few seconds to drive her point home.

After spending the afternoon scaring guests in her classes haunted house, Kagami was relieved by Minegishi Ayano, another of her classmates, and decided to head to Konata's classroom. Misao happened to be leaving at the same time. She ran after Kagami and punched her shoulder as she caught up with her in the hallway.

"Hey Hiiragi, going to see the squirt again?"

"No! Well, I promised Tsukasa I'd let her try reading my fortune again now that she says she's gotten the hang of it, so I am actually going over there... but its not to see her! I mean, it's not like I can't go a few hours without seeing the little weirdo!"

"Whoa, calm down! No need to get your panties in a knot! It was sorta rhetorical anyway, it's not like you'd ever be going anywhere else."

"...Shut it. So where are you going?"

"With you! We never spend any time together! And Ayano just started working the haunted house, so I can't hang with her."

Kagami grumbled noncommittally, and continued on her way with Misao close behind. When they entered 3-B's classroom Konata appeared almost immediately, dressed in her witch costume.

"Whats up, Kagami? Did they fire you for being too scary?"

"Why do I put up with you, again?"

Konata waved her wand and announced dramatically: "Because you love me, of course!"

Kagami turned bright red. "What the hell are you talking about? Don't say weird things like that, people will get the wrong idea!" She was shouting without realizing it, and the pair was beginning to attract attention.

"So.. Kagamin _hates_ me? Waaaaaaah!" Konata erupted into a false fit of angst with such volume that everyone in the room was now once again staring at the pair. Then she ran off into the hallway, still pretending to bawl at the top of her lungs. Minutes later, she was back at Kagami's side as if nothing had happened.

"So anyway, I've been talking to Tsukasa and Miyuki, and we're planning a party tonight at my place to celebrate the success of our cheer show! I got a call from my dad after he was thrown out for taking too may pictures at the opening ceremony and just generally being creepy, and he said he'd be out of town for the night to do research in Kyoto for a magazine article, so I got permission to host a little get-together. Hiyori and Patty are game, and Yu-chan lives there so she hasn't really got a choice. I'm sure Minami will come too, since her little waifu will be there!"

"You..." Kagami was used to Konata's antics by now so she wasn't too annoyed by the scene her little show had caused, but she pretended to be anyway and turned her back. "Sorry, I need to catch up on my studying. Entrance exams are right around the corner now, you know. Besides, a party at your house is bound to be too weird to be any fun."

"Oh come on, Kagami, it'll be loads of fun! I have a big surprise planned! It's just one night, you can start studying tomorrow."

"...Maybe I'll come, maybe I won't."

Konata took that as acceptance, and turned to Misao. "You're in too, right Misakichi? Can you tell Ayano about it?"

Misao was psyched. "You know it! Lets party it up!"

Kagami walked over to Tsukasa's fortune-telling booth. "Party tonight, huh?"

"Yea! It sounds like it'll be loads of fun! You're coming too, right onee-chan?"

"I guess. Everyone doesn't get together like this very often, it probably will be fun" She admitted grudgingly. "How's the fortune telling going?"

"Oh, I've gotten a lot better! Want me to try yours again?"

"Sure, lets see what you can do."

"Ok, here I go!" Tsukasa broke a rice cake in half and stared at the inside edges. "Um... you're going to think I'm making this up again, but... It says your love fortune in the near future is good. Haha... that's exactly what I said the other night, isn't it? Lets see... It also says to look forward to social events, and to try new things. Maybe that's a good omen for tonight?" Tsukasa looked across the table nervously at her sister.

Unconvinced, Kagami decided to play along to keep her sister's spirits up. "Well, if that's what the fortune says, I'll be looking forward to the party. Keep it up, Tsukasa, you're doing much better."

Next she decided to pay Miyuki a visit. "So what do the cards have in store for me today?"

"Oh, Kagami-san! Well, If you'll please take a seat, we can find out together." Kagami sat while Miyuki shuffled her tarot deck. "If you would, please draw ten cards, and hand them back to me."

Kagami did as she was asked. Miyuki spread five of the card out in a cross, with four cards arranged vertically next to it, and held onto the final card.

"So, lets see. I believe the center card represents the potential outcome, true love, so your fortune pertains to your love life. This card here represents the time frame, near future, which indicates that the event will occur within the next six months. These three cards tell me that you will face adversity, both internally and from outside sources. And the four vertical cards tell me that a positive outcome can be expected if you exhibit patience and understanding, and are able to overcome a specific obstacle, signified by the final card." Miyuki laid the last card on top of the center card. "Oh my, and this card identifies the obstacle you will face as prejudice. Kagami-san, this is the most complex reading I've performed all day! It's quite exciting for it to go so well!"

"Yeah... It went well, huh?" Kagami seemed a bit perturbed by all the information.

"Oh... but I wouldn't worry too much about it. After all, divination is an incredibly imprecise art. I wouldn't put much faith in such things. It's... more of a game, honestly."

"...Thanks, Miyuki. You're right, of course I shouldn't take these things seriously."

But Kagami was still rather gloomy. Miyuki wouldn't understand why, but on top of Kagami's recent sexual confusion, two fortunes hinting at an impending love and one suggesting a need to overcome severe prejudice left Kagami feeling a bit uneasy.

"Yahoo! Kagamin! Let me predict your future next!" Konata was waving her over to the desk where she'd set up shop with her starling inferno replica.

"I think I've had enough fortune-telling for today, I'm going back to my class."

"Aw c'mon, Kagami. You let the other two do it, why not me?"

"Because you'll definitely predict something weird." _Although, I guess there isn't much chance of Konata's prediction getting too serious. I guess I should humor her. _"All right, fine. Lets do it. I still have some break time left, anyway."

"'Atta girl! Now sit down, and let me gaze into your eyes and read the future written withiiiiiiiin!" Konata put on a showy, mystical voice. "I see it... Yes, Your future is becoming clear!" Here she switched personalities completely, and in a robotic monotone rambled off a series of 'predictions' "Twelve minutes and forty-seven seconds from now, you will purchase takoyaki from the stall in the second year hallway! Twenty minutes and twelve seconds from now, you will bring it back to this room! And twenty-three minutes and thirty-six seconds from now, I will eat it! Your path has been laid before you, now go!"

Kagami sighed. "Well, I was right. Thanks Konata, that was exactly what I needed. But, there is no way I'm going to buy you takoyaki."

"Pleeeease, Kagami! I've been here for hours, and I'm starving! I know you're hungry too!"

"How would you know that?"

"We haven't eaten since the zuka cafe! And you're always hungry anyway, Kagamin."

"I am not!" Kagami shouted, but her stomach betrayed her by punctuating the outburst with a loud growl. Konata grinned widely.

"Argh! Damn stomach... Fine, I'll go get some food."

"Bring me back some yakisoba, Hiiragi!" Misao shouted at her retreating back from Miyuki's tarot booth.

When they finished eating, Kagami returned to the haunted house until the end of the festival. Then she met up with the whole crew by the school gate and they headed to Konata's house for the after-party. When they arrived, Konata revealed her surprise.

"Bum ba-da da da!" She was holding three large bottles of sake. "lets drink!"

"Um... I don't know about this, Kona-chan." Tsukasa was nervously eying the bottles. "I've never had alcohol before."

Kagami wasn't happy about the development, either. "_Sake_? Are you nuts? You're totally irresponsible, you know that?"

"Lighten up, Kagami! We're mature young ladies. As long as we take it easy, what could go wrong? Besides, this is the good stuff. My dad gets bottles from publishers and magazine honchos all the time, but he doesn't drink much so he's built up a pretty big stash. And didn't Tsukasa predict good things if you try something new?"

Kagami glared at her sister, who grinned back guiltily.

"I won't force you to drink, but I can promise a great party if you do! You need to let loose once in a while, you're always way too tense!"

"I propose a toast!" Misao was already filling glasses. "Everyone take a glass!"

Drinks were passed around, and everyone in the room accepted one, Kagami included, although a few were rather tentative about the idea. When they each had a cup, Misao stood on the table.

"To the best damn cheer squad in Japan! Nay, the entire world!" She started guzzling the drink, then coughed most of it up onto Minami's head. "Damn, this stuff is strong! I've never had alcohol before either, but I didn't think it'd be like that!"

Yutaka led Minami off to the bathroom to find a towel while the rest of the girls tipped their glasses. Miyuki was bright red after draining her glass. "Oh my... Lovely! ...hic... Kona-chan, another glass here, if you please! ...hic...

"Whoa, slow down girl! You won't last an hour going like that!" But she refilled Miyuki's cup anyway, and then topped off her own.

Kagami snatched the bottle away from Konata. "Ok, I'm going to be the bartender tonight. This is not getting out of control."

The party was a tremendous success. The girls played a few American drinking games introduced by Patty. Konata had asked her for help after reading about beer pong on a forum, so she came equipped with ping pong balls, as well as dice and a deck of cards for several other games she knew. Tsukasa was eliminated from most of the games fairly early, and went into the kitchen to bake cookies. Konata set up her old N64 and held a mari0 K0rt tournament which she, of course, won. As the alcohol took hold it became difficult to focus on games, and eventually everyone settled around the kotatsu and simply enjoyed each others company.

Several hours in everyone was definitely feeling the effects of the sake. Yutaka had begun to feel sick after a single glass, and Minami was now cradling her sleeping head in her lap. Hiyori could be found curled up in a corner, surrounded by dozens of Konata's manga. Tsukasa was seated next to a face down Ayano at the kotatsu and swaying crazily from side to side, hiccuping. Patty and Misao were singing the theme from their cheer bit in loud, abrasive voices, Miyuki had disappeared, and Konata was lying on the ground with a controller in one hand and sporadically shouting challenges to the room in general, but seemed unable to sit up let alone focus on a video game

Kagami, who had gotten a bit carried away despite herself and was completely drunk by that point, stood up to make a declaration. "Everyone, thanksh for all the wonderful memoriesh! I'm gonna mish you all so much after we graduate! I... I..." She began to sniffle."I love you all! These are the besht years of our lives, lets end it with a bang!" And finish with a bang she did, as she fell heavily onto her rear and crashed into a bookshelf, knocking a pile of magazines down onto her head.

After failing to stand up herself, Konata crawled over to her from the TV, looking worried. "You ok, Kagamin? You really can't hold your liquor, ...hic... can you? I totally knew you'd be a ...hic... weepy drunk."

"Hahaha!... oh shut up and come here, you little squirt!" Kagami grabbed her with a headlock, and the pair wound up wrestling on the floor. After a few minutes, The taller girl gained the upper hand and pinned Konata on her back, holding her arms above her head and straddling her chest. She stared down into her friends green eyes, and Konata gazed right back up at her without struggling. They held the pose for a few seconds that seemed suspended in time. Kagami was in a daze as she slowly lowered her head toward Konata. The otaku didn't resist. In fact, her neck strained upward to bring her face closer to Kagami's. Their lips were only inches apart when Misao screamed "Dog pile!" and tackled Kagami from atop the living room table. Seeing what was going on, Patty jumped in and soon almost everyone who was still awake was rolling around on the floor in a pile. After the wrestling match, the girls were all exhausted, and each one fell asleep where she lay. All except Hiyori, who had been watching since before Misao's interruption and was still sketching feverishly, a piece of tissue jammed into each nostril.

The next morning, the party-goers headed home one by one as they woke, until only Tsukasa and Kagami were left sitting with Konata at the kotatsu. Kagami kicked something under the table, followed by a bang and the sound of Miyuki's voice.

"Ow! ...huh? where am I? Oh dear, my head is so painful."

Tsukasa lifted the blanket, and Miyuki crawled out to join them.

"So that's where you were..." Kagami mumbled as she looked up from her face-down position at the table. "I don't know about you girls, but I'm never drinking again."

Konata was also face down, and Kagami could barely make out what she was saying. "That was a crazy party though. I get the feeling some really weird stuff happened last night, but I just can't remember what it was. Gah! I feel like my head took a hit from the giga drill breaker. I'm going back to bed."

"Yeah... Weird stuff... I'm going home to sleep some more too, thank god we don't have school today. Coming, Tsukasa?" and with that, Kagami and her sister took their leave. Miyuki and Konata cleaned up a bit in silence. Then the pink-haired girl returned home as well, and Konata crawled into bed.

As she walked to the station, Kagami was deep in thought.

_I can't believe I did that! Sake is evil. Is Konata just pretending she doesn't remember? I mean, my memory's a little fuzzy too, but that moment is crystal clear. What the hell was I thinking... It must have been because of those fortunes. I had love on my mind, and Konata looked so helpless and cute pinned under me like that... First all this yuri, now Konata. I have absolutely no self control. Man, how the hell did I wind up falling for a perverted little midget like her?_

As this thought came to her, she realized it was true. She had fallen for Konata. Despite her eccentricities, the girl was always there for her when she needed her, and Kagami never had more fun than when the two were together. She couldn't doubt it anymore. She loved Konata.

_Oh god... I love Konata. I'm a lesbian, and I'm in love with a fangirl. What the hell am I going to do? She definitely responded when I tried to kiss her, but was she just drunk? I don't want to drive her away, but this kind of thing could ruin our friendship. I think I have to find out how she feels, but maybe I should just forget it and try to stay friends with her. After all, I don't think she's gay... Dammit, I don't think I can stand being just friends, now that I've come to terms with this!_

Her inner monologue tormented her the entire way home. She had only managed to raise more difficult questions by the time she was finally able to get into bed and drift into an uneasy sleep.

And that's it for this installment. Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you thought in the reviews section!


	4. Coming to Terms

**Chapter 4: Coming to Terms**

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><p>Thanks again everyone, here's the next chapter! Sorry it took me so long, I had finals and then a rather annoying job search to deal with. Hope you enjoy!<p>

Oh, and: I do not own lucky star. I'm just a fan, and this is just a fanfic.

**Coming to Terms**

After Ryouou's culture festival, life got serious for the third-year students. Everyone was so busy preparing for entrance exams that it seemed like there was no time to do anything else. Even Konata had started to buckle down and put some effort into studying. Kagami especially was dedicating herself to her studies in an attempt to gain entry to Tokyo University's pre-law program, and saw much less of her friends than usual during the month following the festival. She had begun spending her lunch breaks studying in the library, occasionally joined by Ayano or Misao, and remained in her classroom during other breaks where she could often be seen staring blankly at a textbook and muttering to herself. While Kagami was definitely under severe stress due to the impending exams, she had also been avoiding Konata since the day after the party, when she'd realized she was in love with the little otaku.

She wanted Konata, badly, but was terrified of the reaction confessing might elicit from her friend. She constantly ran through the scenario in her head. In her paranoia, the outcome was never good. The range of reactions she imagined varied from Konata playing the situation off as a joke to expressing outright revulsion. Kagami often thought that she should just suppress her emotions and continue hanging out with Konata the way she always had, but a part of her desperately held onto the hope that she and Konata could be together. She didn't think it would be possible to live her life not knowing if this was true or not. Just being around Konata now was enough to get Kagami's mind racing uncomfortably and practically stop her heart from nervousness considering her options and their possible results. Since she couldn't decide how to handle the situation, she just began avoiding facing her friend altogether and buried herself in schoolwork.

Kagami was in the library with Misao hitting the books yet again one lunch break in early December when Konata burst into the library. "Yahoo! Kagamin! I heard you were hiding in here, I have big news! Where are you?"

Kagami hid her face behind her textbook and hunkered down beside Misao to avoid attracting Konata's attention, but her fanged friend blew her cover. "Oi pipsqueak! We're over here! Thank god, I'm so bored I was about to start screaming!"

"You _are_ screaming... idiot." mumbled Kagami as she straightened herself out, resigning herself to facing Konata for the first time in weeks. "so... hey. Whats the news?"

"Why so cold, Kagami-sama? Anyway, I got my drivers license! Check it out!" Konata shoved a card bearing her photograph into Kagami's face.

"wicked cool squirt!" Misao was jumping up and down, about as excited as Konata was. "Ayano got her license last week too! This definitely calls for a road trip after exams!"

Kagami's reaction was a little cooler. "Who would actually let you behind the wheel of a car? Can you even reach the pedals?"

Konata turned to Misao. "Is it just me, or has Kagami been stuck in full tsun-tsun mode recently?"

"Does that mean she's being a bitch? Cuz yeah, she's been pretty harsh late..._Oof!_"

Kagami had smacked her over the head with her textbook. "You idiots..." she growled through gritted teeth. Misao looked across the table to Konata with an expression that clearly read 'see what I mean,' and rubbed the back of her head.

Konata continued with her good news, ignoring her friend's rage as she usually did. "Since I got my license, My dad agreed to split the cost of a car with me if I get into college on my first try! I've been working hard on my own, but a few sections of my notebook are a little, well, blank. So... I kinda need a study buddy to get through some of the material."

"I told you all that slacking would come back to bite you when entrance exams rolled around. What would you do if I refused to help you?"

"Ask Miyuki!" came the answer without hesitation. Rather than getting angry, Kagami looked a little hurt. Konata put on her best puppy dog eyes and gazed up at her. "But of course I'd rather have Kagami-sama tutor me!"

"Ugh. Fine then. I guess I don't mind helping you out a few times a week, but these sessions are going to be serious, and you need to promise not to slack off. We'll get started Monday after school, meet me at my place. And please... drop the -sama."

With that, Kagami hurriedly gathered up her things and marched out of the library.

Misao turned to Konata. "I gotta hand it to you, you're really good at manipulating Hiiragi, Chibikko. I mean, 'Of course I'd rather have Kagami-sama tutor me!' that was pure gold. She melts like butter when you spill those lines."

"Well, I do have a lot of experience dealing with tsundere girls thanks to eroge, so it comes naturally. But... It was also the truth. She's my best friend, someone I can always rely on. And if I have to do something I don't like to do, there isn't anyone else I'd rather be with. At least I can always pick on her to liven things up."

Konata was right about being able to count on Kagami. During the weeks preceding the exams, they met every other day after school. The study sessions were intense, but Konata kept her word and worked hard. On a typical study day, the duo would hit the books together for around five hours, occasionally joined by Tsukasa. Then Konata and Tsukasa would prepare a late dinner.

The meetings, however, were strangely awkward. While in the past the friends would discuss anything and everything, from how to eat strawberry shortcake to current crime trends, Kagami now rarely spoke about anything other than their study topic while they worked. During dinner she barely spoke at all, providing at most a few words of comment whenever Konata attempted conversation, and barely responding to the jabs and general idiocy with which the otaku loved to provoke her. After eating, Konata would head home almost immediately while Kagami returned to studying or, increasingly, slacked off by browsing the net or reading.

Even the holiday season was a subdued affair. The looming exams seemed to smother the usual festive atmosphere. There was a small party at Miyuki's house on Christmas Eve, but after exchanging presents and eating cake, Kagami headed home not long after the karaoke machine was brought out. She wasn't really feeling up to singing. Her departure enveloped the party, and especially Konata, in a rather downcast mood. Despite Misao's attempts to get the fun rolling again, the rest of the crew disbanded fairly quickly.

Winter Comiket followed right on the heels of Christmas. While her intake of anime and manga outside of the yuri genre had been increasing since she started secluding herself from social activities, enough so that she probably would have actually enjoyed going, Kagami had turned down Konata's invitation this year. She didn't want to out herself as a burgeoning anime fan in front of the little otaku by losing control and getting overenthusiastic at the event. Konata was instead accompanied by Patty, cosplaying as Miyak0 from Hid0m0ri Sk0tch, and Hiyori, who carried two wallets and bought an extra copy of every decent yuri offering at the event, and several of the more highly anticipated works in other genres.

Kagami apparently still worked at the shrine on new years, as Miyuki said she'd spoken with her briefly and wished her a happy new year, but when Konata showed up, the only miko she could locate was Tsukasa.

One day during the week before exams, Kagami actually turned up in Konata's classroom during lunch break, though she hadn't brought anything to eat.

Her short friend noticed her entrance immediately, almost as if she'd been waiting for her to arrive even though she hadn't turned up for lunch in weeks. "Yo Kagami! Whats up, you finally decided to be a little sociable?"

"Um... no, actually I just wanted to tell you... wait... shut up! I'm perfectly sociable! I just... have a lot on my plate right now, even on top of having to babysit you every other day!"

Her outburst made Konata ecstatic. "Ha! Now there's the Kagamin we know and love!"

"Indeed, welcome back, Kagami-san! Lunches have been much more low key recently without your tsukkomi to counter Konata-san's boke." Even Miyuki was getting in on the teasing. Apparently Kagami's atypical behavior was worrying her friends more than she'd realized.

Konata pretended to be insulted, to try to keep the gag rolling. "Miyuki, do you really think I'm an idiot?"

Miyuki reddened and reassured Konata that she didn't, but the expected jab from Kagami was still missing.

Tsukasa piped up, since Kagami seemed lost in thought still standing in the doorway. "So, whats up Onee-chan?"

"Oh, right... Well, our parents are having some friends over tonight, so I was thinking we should have our study session at Konata's place or something."

"Sure, that's fine with me. Same time?"

"Yeah... well... that's all. I'm going now... back to the library."

"Aw c'mon Kagamin, eat with us again! We miss you!" Konata shouted after her retreating back.

Kagami replied over her shoulder as she continued out the door. "No, I... I really need to study some more. Later." And with that, Kagami beat a hasty retreat back down the hallway, in the opposite direction of the library.

As soon as she was gone, Konata began questioning Tsukasa. 'Whats up with your sister? She's been acting really weird for weeks. She's all silent and depressed, I'm kinda worried."

"I... I think Onee-chan is really worried about her exams. Actually... I'm not really sure that's it. Um... I guess... I don't know? Sorry, I'm actually pretty worried too. She's been shutting herself in her room a lot, but... She isn't always studying or anything. Whenever I check in on her, she's usually either in bed or on her computer. She just seems... depressed and unmotivated... unless the two of you are studying. Um... maybe... maybe it's a boy? That's what Matsuri thinks, anyway."

Miyuki offered her opinion on the topic. "Hm. Yes, I think I could see this sudden shift in personality as being the result of some sort of... love sickness, I suppose you could call it? It is a possibility that she is preoccupied with working up the courage to confess to someone. Or perhaps she did confess and was rejected, resulting in a slight depression. Either way, this should hopefully work itself out soon. Time heals all wounds, after all. I am however worried that this may have an adverse effect on her entrance examinations. Tokyo University is incredibly strict when it comes to admissions, and I'm afraid she may be losing focus."

Konata's face had clouded over. "A boy huh... Shit."

"Konata-san!" Miyuki looked shocked, but Konata payed her no heed, just clammed up and passed the remainder of break looking slightly depressed herself.

After school, Kagami went home to change, then caught a bus to Konata's house. When she arrived, Yutaka answered the door. "Kagami-senpai! Good afternoon! Konata onee-san is in the bath right now, but she asked me to tell you that you can wait in her room."

Kagami thanked Yutaka and headed upstairs. As she passed the bathroom, she heard a few splashes echoing inside, causing her to stop and press an intrigued ear to the bathroom door.

_Damn, I'm such a pervert. _Despite this thought, a happy grin was plastered across her face, and she continued listening blushingly to the sounds coming from Konata on the other side of the door.

She knelt in the hallway spying on the bathing Konata for what must have been several minutes. Suddenly, while she was lost in her own imagination, something crashed into her, putting a painful end to her fantasizing by dousing her in scalding hot liquid. Yutaka had climbed the stairs with a loaded tea tray in hand, which almost entirely blocked the tiny girl's line of sight. Without seeing Kagami, Yutaka had tripped over her as she knelt in the hallway, and spilled the entire pot of hot tea down her back.

Needless to say, Kagami screamed. Loudly. Then she jumped up and began tearing off her blouse, which was drenched in the boiling beverage.

"What's going..._Oof!" _Just as Kagami managed to get her top off, Konata came flying out of the bathroom, stark naked and yelling, and crashed into her, bringing them both to the floor in a confused, damp tangle.

When the girls came to rest, the naked Konata was straddling Kagami's chest. As her eyes focused on the sight in front of her, nearly all of the blood in her body must have rushed straight to Kagami's cheeks.

"Hey Kagamin! You ok? That was one hell of a scream, I thought someone was being murdered."

"you... you... you're... naked?" Kagami managed to whisper. The burns on her shoulders had faded to the back of her mind, along with thoughts of anything other than the nude girl surrounded by azure waves of long, damp hair and the scent of shampoo sitting on top of her at the moment.

"Oh yeah, I am. Hey, why are you naked?" Konata asked nonchalantly as she stood up and returned to the bathroom for a towel

Examining herself, Kagami realized that she'd stripped off her shirt, removing the source of the scalding heat through sheer survival instinct without consciously realizing what she was doing. She was now wearing nothing above the waist except her bra.

Yutaka piped up from the corner she had tucked herself into, her remorseful eyes just barely visible around the edge of the now empty tea tray. "Um... Kagami-senpai, are you alright? I'm reaaaaally sorry! I wasn't expecting you to be there! Uh... here... you should come with me. W...we should get some burn ointment on your back! It's... It looks... pretty bad."

Being reminded of the reason for the chaos of the last few minutes, the pain of the burns returned full force, and Kagami grimaced. "Yeah... I think that's probably a good idea. Don't worry about it though, Yu-chan. It was kind of my fault, and I don't think its too serious. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Oh, what were you doing on the floor senpai?"

"I... um... dropped something..." came Kagami's mumbled excuse.

Yutaka helped Kagami treat her burns. Then the older girl returned upstairs to Konata's room. As she entered, Konata quickly shoved a book she was reading under her pillow and jumped off the bed.

"Kagamin! That was wild, are you alright? I thought you were dying when I heard that scream. Um... do you want to borrow a shirt?"

Kagami looked down at herself and blushed from ear to ear yet again. She had completely forgotten her ruined shirt, still lying in the hallway, and now found herself standing in Konata's room still wearing nothing but her lavender bra.

"Hahaha! Hang on a minute, I'll go grab that pajama top Minami keeps in Yu-chan's room."

Konata made her exit, and Kagami sat down on the bed. The corner of what looked like a doujinshi was peeking out from underneath Konata's pillow.

_I wonder what she was reading..._

Kagami pulled the book out. On the cover was a rather explicit depiction of Y0z0ra and S0na, two characters from one of Konata's recent anime obsessions, actually enjoying each others company for a change. Perusing the inside of the book, Kagami realized that it was in fact a very limited edition doujinshi, one she had been looking for herself recently in Akihabara. The story revolved around the main character's younger sister, K0bat0, truly becoming a vampire, and using hypnosis to turn all of the women around her brother into lesbians.

_Wow, Konata has some rare stuff. I should check out that library of hers._

Konata had once told her friends that there was nothing in her closet that she would be ashamed to show them. That apparently didn't mean that everything in there was g-rated, or even close. Only that Konata had a very high threshold for shame. She later let them in on the fact that there were books in her 'secret closet library' that she didn't want her father to know even existed, much less share with him like most of the eroge and more tame (in Konata's opinion) fan literature in the Izumi household.

Kagami pulled open the door to Konata's closet, and started leafing through the books Konata had hidden behind some anime DVDs. Despite Konata offering rather frequently, Kagami had never looked through these before. She was shocked to discover that more than half of the doujinshi in Konata's private collection were yuri-themed. There where a lot of very hard to find books preserved in vacuum-sealed plastic covers, some of which could carry price tags up to tens of thousands of yen on online auction sites. By now, Kagami was rather familiar with the world of doujinshi, after investing a large amount of time and a decent amount of money in Akiba studying the topic under Hiyori's tutelage. Konata's yuri collection in particular was impressive indeed.

As she skimmed through a few of the books, Konata returned to the room bearing the promised flannel shirt and a new tray of tea. She noticed Kagami browsing the library, put down the tea, and silently sneaked up behind her. When she was less than a foot away, she spoke. "Enjoying yourself?"

Books flew as Kagami jumped in fright. "_Waaah! _When did you get there!"

"Just now. Your shirt's over there."

Kagami didn't move. "So... um... these books are all... like... yuri. Konata, are you g...gay?"

"Wahahaha! Well, what would you do if I said I was?" Konata inquired slyly, sporting her feline grin.

To Kagami, it seemed as if time had stopped. She felt like she was floating on a cloud in a blinding ray of sunshine, a chorus of angels singing around her.

Back in reality, Kagami was completely zoned out, and Konata was confused. "Um... Kagami-sama? Hello! Earth to Kagamin!"

"...huh? Oh! um... yeah, so... You're... actually into girls, then?" She averted her eyes as she asked, but the slight red tint her face had acquired was still visible.

"Jeez Kagami, did I weird you out that much? I didn't think you'd be so homophobic."

Kagami's blush deepened. She waved her arms and stuttered as she tried to explain without giving herself away. "N..no! I, uh, I was just a little surprised. I guess I don't have a problem with it, you can love whoever you want. It... It's not like I'd judge you or anything!"

Seeing through the stammering excuse, Konata actually got a little angry at what she perceived as Kagami's unexpectedly ignorant attitude. "Man, you're being really awkward about this. Usually when I joke around you just get a little mad or something. These are just books, anyway. I mean, look... There's some tentacle stuff in there, but I have absolutely no desire to be a tentacle monster, or meet one. If you're dead set on getting serious on me, then honestly, I don't know. I've had a few crushes in my lifetime, and most have been for boys. I do enjoy my yuri doujinshi, so maybe I'm bi. Who knows? Hell, who cares? I'll figure it out eventually. Lighten up a little, you're gonna give yourself a heart attack!"

Kagami of course was hardly as leery of homosexuality as Konata was suspecting. Rather, she was lost in thought at this unexpected development in the matter which had been weighing on her so heavily for so long.

_Oh man, she might be bisexual? Is she serious? _most _have been for boys, she said. And... she's getting pretty defensive. Maybe I have a chance after all... what am I supposed to do? Go for it? Right now? Maybe I should just wait a little longer. At least I feel like I finally made some progress today!_

Konata finally managed to drag Kagami back out of her own mind with a poke to the ribs. "Oi Kagami! Are we actually going to study, or what?"

"Hmph... I can't believe I'm hearing that from you. Alright, lets get started."

A little extra hope can go a long way. That night Kagami was a lot closer to her old self. She had regained the ability to laugh, and also responded to Konata's gags like she used to, lashing out with faux rage at the absurdity of whatever nonsense her friend might come up with. When the girls finished studying, Kagami helped with the dinner preparations, and played a few video games with Konata and the other two members of the Izumi household.

She returned home late and happy that night for the first time in a long while, a fact which did not go unnoticed by her older sisters as she passed through the living room where they were still watching television. "Hey you! You look cheerful, what have you been up to?" Inori greeted her warmly, but Matsuri, looking suspicious, began her own line of questioning before Kagami could respond to her eldest sister.

"So, who's the boy?"

"...Huh? What are you talking about?"

Inori glared at Matsuri as she took the lead again. "That's my whole plan ruined! It would have been adorable watching her squirm." Her focus returned to Kagami. "You may as well come clean now, Kagami. It's obvious. You've been down in the dumps for weeks. Then all of a sudden, a week before entrance exams when you should be freaking out, you're coming home at midnight grinning from ear to ear? It's not hard to see whats going on. You snagged yourself a guy."

Matsuri chimed in again. "Yeah, your unrequited love has finally... been requited? Er... Whatever, what's he like?"

Kagami was shocked. She hadn't realized how obvious her mental state had been to everyone around her, or even how depressed she'd actually become recently_, _until her sisters pointed out how easily they'd noticed.

_Oh man,_ _I've been screwing up, letting this get to me so badly. It's not like anyone is poised to take Konata away from me, and I'm definitely smart enough to get her to fall for me given enough time. She even hinted that she might be questioning her sexuality. Stressing out about it and acting all depressed is only going to ruin our relationship, and it's already a damn good one. I mean, she was completely comfortable sitting on my stomach stark naked! How much more work could I possibly need to do? Alright, tomorrow I begin operation optimism! _"Love really is a powerful thing..." she mumbled to herself as she headed towards the stairs, making her way to her room and completely forgetting to mount a defense against her sisters' teasing.

Kagami's elder sisters stared at each other for several seconds, disbelief spread across their faces. Matsuri finally broke the tension, "Love? You were right, nee-san! Amazing! Our straight-edged little sis is in love!"

The next day, Kagami met her friends for lunch for the first time in a long while. Tsukasa had left her lunch on the train, and Miyuki's had been trampled by a small herd of first year students after she dropped it in the hallway, so they decided to eat in the cafeteria. Kagami and Konata, with the two surviving lunchboxes, went to acquire a table while the other two waited in line. Once they found seats, Konata immediately brought up the events of the previous night.

"So Kagamin! You know, I've been thinking about yesterday, when we were talking about my doujinshi collection and stuff."

Kagami wasn't prepared to face the topic again so soon. "Oh... yeah? Um... What about... specifically?

"Well... just that... it might actually be pretty interesting to be a tentacle monster. Having that many prehensile digits must be incredible! Imagine how many games I could play at once! Or I could be a master chef! Or...Or..."

Kagami was stunned at first, but gradually began to lose her composure, and soon disintegrated into unbridled laughter. "Ha... Ha... Haha! WAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHA! That! That's what you were thinking about! That is just... so... you! HAHAHAHA!"

She was clutching her sides, and her laughter showed no sign of slowing down when Miyuki and Tsukasa arrived with their lunches. Miyuki was grinning from ear to ear. "Kagami-san, I'm so glad to see that your spirits have improved!"

Kagami slowly managed to catch her breath, then addressed her friends. "Yeah, I actually wanted to apologize to you all for the way I've been acting. I should have been able to keep a tighter lid on myself, but I wound up getting all depressed and making everyone worry about me. I'm sorry."

Konata looked at her incredulously. "Kagami, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say. What you should have done was tell us what the trouble was, so we could help you. What exactly was the matter, by the way? Tsukasa said it might be... a boy, or something?"

"Ha. No. That's ridiculous. Inori and Matsuri were saying the same thing last night, as if I'd get all bent out of shape about some guy."

All three of her friends spoke in unison: "Then what was wrong?"

Kagami just grinned. "Don't worry about it, I'm over it. In retrospect, it was a really dumb thing to stress out about. Especially with entrance exams coming up next week. If it's meant to work out, I'll make it work out!"

That's it for chapter four! If you enjoyed it, (or if you didn't) Please review to let me know what I do well! (or poorly.) (Actually, especially what I do poorly.) Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	5. Mobile Headquarters

**Chapter 5: Mobile Headquarters**

Hello again, It's been a while since I've had any time to write. This one's a bit short, but at least the ball is rolling again. Feels good!

Here is yet another chapter in this riveting tale of cute lesbians doing cute things

I don't own Lucky Star. I'm just a fan, this is just a fanfic, yada yada yada.

It seemed as though Kagami had just barely rejoined the real world when university entrance exams arrived to put a stop to any and all fun. Along with Miyuki, Kagami had several examinations to worry about. First there was the general exam, which all prospective college students were required to take, and which she breezed through with ease. Over the following two weeks, she took four additional exams. One for Tokyo U's pre-law program, one for general admittance to Tokyo U, one for her backup school, and finally, the exam for her safety school, which was still a rather prestigious, and therefor strict on admittance, university. Needless to say, when she finally finished her exams, Kagami was about at her wits end. Konata had requested that they meet for lunch at a local family restaurant the day after her final exam, saying only that she had an amazing surprise and that it would 'blow their socks off.'

As Kagami approached the designated restaurant, she noticed two otaku-types blocking sidewalk traffic and taking photos of a massive van thoroughly coated in artwork. As she got closer, Kagami recognized the life-sized anime characters smiling and waving from the side panel as the cast of Sail0r M00n. Although no one could say the art quality was poor, Kagami had to question the taste of anyone willing to plaster it all over the side of their vehicle. One of the otaku taking photos noticed her staring, and mistaking her disgust for interest, directed her to the opposite side, which was apparently 'even better.'

As she walked around the rear of the van, she noticed two large pink eyes had been painted on the rear windows, and the vibe they gave off was distinctly creepy. The sight of the street-side panel left her slack-jawed. The first mural had been exceptionally up-beat, set in a sunny field with white, fluffy clouds overhead. The other piece was downright depressing. A gray city and dark cloudy sky served as a backdrop to five magical girls looking more downcast than she could possibly have expected from the genre. Their facial expressions, which ranged from rage to utter misery, clashed horribly with their brightly colored outfits, and each girl was armed to the teeth. Kagami had no idea what anime this was from, but it left a profound impression, and she made a mental note to mention it to Konata when she saw her.

Konata and Tsukasa were already in the restaurant when she arrived. Despite having only taken two exams each, and having finished days ago, they looked even more exhausted than she did. Even Miyuki was visibly shaken when she finally arrived just after Kagami, unusually late, unkempt, and wearing two pairs of glasses, one each for her eyes and forehead. Exams had been tough all around.

As the two latecomers took their seats, Kagami explained what she'd seen outside.

"Anyway, it was... interesting, to say the least. Although I can't believe anyone would willingly drive that monstrosity around."

Konata looked indignant after her conclusion. "Dedication like that isn't cheap you know! A lot of my savings went into that paint job. It cost more than the van itself! I'll drive it proudly for the rest of my life!"

"you'll drive... Oh god, tell me that isn't your van?"

"It's mine." Konata replied. "That was the surprise."

Kagami was stunned. All she could do was stare at her friend in disbelief. "You... don't expect me to go anywhere with you in that thing... ever... do you?"

"Actually Kagamin, that's part two of the surprise! You know that new band you've been talking about? The all-girl rock outfit whose blog you were following?"

Kagami figured out the plan from there. "Yeah... d2b... They're playing their final show at the Fukuoka Music Festival in two weeks. Oh... god no... You want to drive there? In _that_?"

"Stop ruining my surprises! But yes, that's the plan. I have it all mapped out. The drive takes about 14 hours. I figured we could stay in Kyoto the night before the festival, since it's about halfway between here and Fukuoka. We can do some sightseeing, and we won't be completely exhausted the day of the festival. You're all coming, right?"

Surprisingly, Miyuki jumped on the idea right away.

"That sounds wonderful! I've read quite a bit about this festival in a few music magazines I subscribe to, and a road trip sounds like a fantastic adventure! We could all use a bit of fun after exam season anyway, right?"

Konata looked across the table at the well-bred ojou-sama she thought she'd known for years, now chomping at the bit in excitement over a rock festival. "I never really pictured you being into the modern rock scene, Yuki-chan..."

Kagami voiced her agreement. "I'm pretty surprised. I don't think I've ever heard you talk about music, Miyuki."

"Well, to be honest, I tend to listen more to the classics. I actually play quite a bit, though it's mostly things I picked up from my old records"

Konata grinned broadly. "Now that sounds like our Miyuki-san. I can totally picture you listening to Mozart and playing the piano."

A blush spread across miyuki's face. "N...no, I..."

"Violin?"

"H...Harmonica."

Stunned silence reigned. Miyuki began stammering out an explanation

"W...when I say old classics, It... It's not Mozart or Bach. I.. I'm particularly fond of Sonny Boy Williamson, and... Lit...Little Walter... Blues... is capable of conveying so much emotion." Her cheeks seemed painfully hot by the time she managed to get all of that out. It looked like she'd just confessed her love to someone, and was waiting for a response. All she got was more silent staring, and she began to squirm under her friends gazes.

Kagami finally broke the tension some minutes later. "Honestly, I never saw that coming." Then she glanced from Konata to Tsukasa and back again, and then the three of them simultaneously erupted into hysterical laughter. Miyuki buried her face in her hands.

When the laughing fit had subsided, Tsukasa spoke up. "I think this sounds like fun, onee-chan. We should all go. And it's a great way to celebrate the end of exams, and graduation."

Kagami reluctantly agreed. "Well, it'll be right after we get our results back, so assuming we have something to celebrate when the day comes, I guess I'm in. Hey, speaking of results, didn't you say your dad helping you buy a vehicle depended on how well your exams went?"

Konata glared at her. "Way to kill the mood, Kagami. Actually, I had enough saved up to buy the van myself, and he agreed to refund half the cost if I did well. Which I'm pretty sure I did."

"Um... I hate to ask, but if you could afford the whole thing and the paint job working part time at a cosplay cafe, and with your spending habits, exactly how much did that van cost you? What I mean is, I don't see it being very reliable if it was in your price range, and I'd like to make it to Fukuoka in one piece."

Konata puffed out her cheeks, looking hurt. "I'm going to ignore all the insults in that question. the van was 35,000 yen, Luigi from work hooked it up. Don't ask about the paint job."

"...I won't"

"It was 95,000"

"...You're insane"

Konata grinned widely again. "Tomorrow's Friday. We'll meet at my house two weeks from tomorrow, and head out from there. All agreed?"

"Hell Yeah! Rock Festival!"

Everyone once again aimed slack-jawed stares in Miyuki's direction. She leaped from her seat as if it had suddenly caught fire and shouted "I'll see you there!" Then she sprinted blindly from the restaurant and immediately and forcefully collided with yet another otaku photographing Konata's van on the sidewalk.

After making sure Miyuki wasn't injured, Kagami returned to her seat and voiced another concern. "Where will we be staying? You're the only one with a job here, and you just blew your savings on that... thing... out front. Hotels are pretty expensive, especially in Kyoto."

"Ah, you haven't seen Mobile Headquarters yet!"

The trio paid their bill and went out to Konata's van. She threw open the rear doors with a flourish, revealing a small couch, several beanbag chairs, a shag carpet, a coffee table, and...

"You've got to be kidding me... Is that a _disco ball_?"

"Yup! Most of this stuff came with the van! Cozy, isn't it? Louie's friend followed some rock band all over America in this thing years ago! It's practically purpose-built for our mission!"

Tsukasa had already jumped in "Onee-chan, look! The beanbag chairs have seat belts!"

Kagami was massaging her temples. "We're going to die..."

That's all for this installment, please let me know how I'm doing, and stay tuned!


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